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Artifact 8
'“It is always easy to criticize and find fault with children (or other adults), to point out what they can't do and how problematic they are. It takes more time and patience to paint a fuller picture in which the person is understood to be not the sum of unchanging traits but in process, in the making. Understood as active and open-ended, each of us is at any moment in our lives, and in all taken together, a complex blend of failings and virtues, of strengths and vulnerabilities” (Carini, 64). ' As I mentioned in Artifact #7, the teachers at the Hill School work get to know each student and figure out what the child needs from the teachers to succeed. When I saw how much attention they paid to each child as an individual, I was reminded of the Carini reading we discussed in class. Carini put a lot of emphasis on getting to know the child and described the ways in which to best observe the child. One aspect that Carini mentions is not using what one has learned about the child in order to criticize. This is something that I did see one of the teachers at the Hill School do. There was an altercation between a few of the boys on the playground. When the teacher went over to break up the fight and talk to the boys, one of them started crying. The teacher verbally reprimanded the boys for fighting and I was worried that she was too harsh to the one who was crying since, to me, he appeared to be the victim. The teacher then explained to me that he was often the ringleader and instigator in these types of situations and then would play victim when he got in trouble. This situation made me question the use of observation. On the one hand the teacher could have been right, and used her prior knowledge to best handle the situation. On the other hand, she could have been wrong and maybe this time the boy really had been hurt by the others. I think that the teachers at the Hill School could learn from Carini’s letter as it may make them more aware of when they make assumptions, while still reminding them of the advantages of observation. Regardless of the situation above, my time at the Hill School has shown me what hard working dedicated teachers looked like. I have seen the benefits of getting to know students and teaching more than basic academics. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to volunteer at the Hill School in conjunction with this class and I will be sure to used what I have learned in the future. Carini, P. (2000) “A Letter to Parents and Teachers on Some Ways of Looking at and Reflecting on Children.” In From Another Angle: Children’s Strengths and School Standards: The Prospect Center’s Descriptive Review of the Child (pp. 56-64). M. Himley and P. Carini, eds. New York: Teachers College Press.